Story
Marco Grüter grew up in an entrepreneurial family where business was a way of life. His parents owned an interior design and flooring company, and he witnessed firsthand the discipline and challenges of running a business. His father, a well-connected figure in their community, showed him the power of relationships, while his mother, a unique force in her generation, managed the business with a sharp mind and an independent spirit.
But Marco was different.
While his brothers chose to stay in the family business, content with its stability, he felt a deep longing to explore beyond the familiar.
At nineteen, he made his first bold move-leaving for Canada to study English. It was an eye-opening experience, one that almost led him to stay and start a business. But something pulled him back. He returned home to finish university, yet the spark had been ignited.
The world was larger than he had imagined, and he wanted more of it.
In his youth, Marco found joy in ice hockey, a sport that taught him discipline, teamwork, and the importance of tactics. The game was fast, competitive, and required both physical and mental sharpness-skills that would later define his approach to business.
He carried this competitive edge into the corporate world, quickly climbing the ranks of global consulting firms, his talent for structuring businesses and optimizing processes setting him apart. Success came easily, at least on paper.
But as he moved from one promotion to the next, a quiet voice inside him began to whisper:
Is this it?
The rigid structures of corporate life, the endless meetings, the slow-moving bureaucracy – none of it fulfilled the drive within him. He wanted something different. Something that mattered.
So he took a leap.
Leaving the comfort of consulting, he launched his first venture, a company that facilitated large-scale construction projects in Libya. It was exciting, challenging, and everything he had hoped for. Until war broke out. Overnight, everything collapsed. A hard-earned business, gone in an instant. With no other option, he returned to consulting, this time on his own terms, running a firm with partners. He built up a bespoke consulting approach, advised start-ups, and led mandates with top-tier businesses. But success didn’t mean alignment. Conflicting visions and strategy discussions drained him, and he saw it for what it was, a waste of energy.
Once again, he had to walk away.
Undeterred, Marco jumped into a new adventure, distributing high-tech golf simulators and creating luxury sports lounges across Switzerland, Germany, and Austria. The idea was strong, the market promising. But they moved too quickly, launching multiple projects simultaneously and burning through cash and energy. Before long, he found himself balancing on the edge of burnout. He had intended for his co-founder to take on more responsibility, but at this critical moment, his partner backed out. Marco had no choice but to sell the business. A hard lesson in co-founder alignment.
Exhausted, he sought stability. He stepped back into the corporate world, this time joining a major bank as a crisis and change manager. The work was high-stakes, dynamic, and deeply impactful. For the first time in a while, he felt engaged. But then, the known patterns emerged. The politics, the red tape, the resistance to real change. He had traded freedom for security.
Eight years in, he knew he was done.
His final attempt at employment came through private equity, a prestigious position that promised entrepreneurial freedom within a structured environment. Yet, within two years, he saw the truth: the work environment wasn't what he sought and his impact was limited. The final straw had been pulled.
For the first time in his life, after 25 years in a professional career, Marco stopped. He took months away from business, stepping back to ask himself a question that had long been buried beneath ambition:
What do I truly want?
He reflected on the tragedy that had shaped his life – his father’s assassination in a parliamentary shooting. Now, nearing the same age his father had been when he passed, Marco saw his own timeline differently.
If I had only three years left, would I be satisfied?
The answer was clear No.
In that moment, everything changed.
No more compromises.
No more justifications.
No more chasing titles.
He would build something of his own, on his own terms to achieve freedom.
With renewed clarity, Marco dedicated himself to entrepreneurship with a fresh perspective.
He realized his true strength lay in structured thinking, systems, and business building, the very skills that let him build several businesses and had made him a top strategy consultant. Now directed toward helping entrepreneurs achieve success without the typical struggles. No longer confined by corporate walls or misaligned partnerships, he began crafting an operating system for entrepreneurs, one that would provide them with clarity, strategy, and momentum to gain freedom.
His partner, self-employed for over 25 years, was also transitioning to an online business, and together, they shared the dream of location flexibility. They envisioned a future where their business supported their lifestyle instead of limiting it.
Throughout this journey, their dog became a grounding force. During the months when Marco was redefining his purpose, long walks with the dog provided clarity, a routine that allowed him to process the changes he was making and the direction he wanted to take.
Marco’s journey had been one of leaps, hard lessons, and ultimate clarity. He learned that freedom was non-negotiable, that alignment with the right people was everything, and that speed and execution mattered more than perfection. Most importantly, he had learned the value of honesty, with himself, above all.
Now, he is on a mission to help entrepreneurs scale their businesses without sacrificing freedom.